Chelating ligands and catalysts and processes employing the same

Abstract

A hydroformylation process including contacting hydroformylation stock in a reaction zone at a temperature of from about 20° C. to about 250° C. and a pressure of from about 15 psig to about 800 psig with hydrogen and carbon monoxide wherein the catalyst comprises rhodium in chemical complex with one or more ligands of the formulae ##STR1## wherein: Z, when present, represents the atoms necessary to form with adjacent carbons on the benzene nucleus a fused divalent ring structure having up to about 20 ring carbons; each ring is either unsubstituted or one or more of the hydrogens thereof is replaced with a substituent R selected independently from alkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl, alkoxyalkyl, cycloaliphatic, halogen, alkanoyl, alkanoyloxy, alkoxycarbonyl, carboxyl or cyano; each R 1 and R 2 is selected independently from alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl or cycloaliphatic; each A is a carbon atom which is either unsubstituted or substituted with one or two independently selected R substituents; each of the above hydrocarbon groups or moieties of R, R 1 or R 2 may be substituted with 1-3 of the aforesaid R substituents; each of the above alkyl groups or moieties is straight or branched chain of 1-20 carbons, preferably 1-8 carbons, each aryl group contains 6-10 ring carbons, and each cycloaliphatic group contains from 4-6 ring carbons; and each Y is independently selected from the elements N, P, As, Sb and Bi.

We claim: 
     
       1. A ligand compound of the formula ##STR24## wherein Z, when present, represents the atoms necessary to form with adjacent carbons on the benzene nucleus a fused divalent ring structure having up to about 20 ring carbons; each ring is unsubstituted or substituted with up to three R substituents selected independently from alkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl, alkoxyalkyl, cycloaliphatic, halogen, alkanoyl, alkanoyloxy, alkoxycarbonyl, carboxyl or cyano;   each R 1  and R 2  is selected independently from alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl or cycloaliphatic;   each A is a carbon atom which is either unsubstituted or substituted with one or two substituents selected independently from alkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl, alkoxyalkyl, cycloaliphatic, halogen, alkanoyl, alkanoyloxy, alkoxycarbonyl, carboxyl or cyano;   each of the above hydrocarbon groups or moieties of R, R 1  or R 2  may be substituted with 1-3 substituents selected independently from alkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl, alkoxyalkyl, cycloaliphatic, halogen, alkanoyl, alkanoyloxy, alkoxycarbonyl, carboxyl or cyano;   each of the above alkyl groups or moieties is straight or branched chain of 1-20 carbons, each aryl group contains 6-10 ring carbons, and each cycloaliphatic group contains from 4-6 ring carbons; and each Y is independently selected from the elements N, P, As, Sb and Bi.   
     
     
       2. A compound of claim 1 wherein each said alkyl group or moiety contains from 1-8 carbons. 
     
     
       3. A compound of claim 1 wherein the single hydrogens are unsubstituted, the "A" carbon hydrogens are unsubstituted, and R 1  and R 2  are each selected from phenyl or benzyl. 
     
     
       4. A compound of claim 1 of the structure ##STR25## 
     
     
       5. The catalyst comprising rhodium complexed with (a) a ligand compound of claim 1 in a molar ratio of ligand/Rh of about 1,   (b) hydrogen in an atomic ratio of H/Rh of about 1, and   (c) carbon monoxide in a molar ratio of CO/Rh of about 2.   
     
     
       6. The catalyst according to claim 5 wherein the ligand has the structure ##STR26##